


Sugar, Sugar

by duplicity



Series: The Sugar Universe [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Established Relationship, Fluff, Harry Potter is a Good Boyfriend, Introspection, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:14:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28520733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duplicity/pseuds/duplicity
Summary: Harry coaxes Tom out of a bad mood with a bit of sweetness.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Tom Riddle | Voldemort
Series: The Sugar Universe [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1567627
Comments: 30
Kudos: 252





	Sugar, Sugar

**Author's Note:**

> just a fun little tagalong that came to me while thinking about this universe, and how tom and harry adjust to having each other in their lives.
> 
> this short story takes place maybe a year or so after the first part of this series.

Harry hears grumbled curses as he enters Tom’s office. It is not a frequent occurrence by any means—Tom is as tight-lipped as they come, with impeccable self-control when he puts his mind to it. Harry doubts that Tom ever says anything unless he means to. 

His boyfriend is an expert at manipulation, at mimicking the behaviours that will get the best response, at saying the right things at the right times to get the results he wants. When Tom is focused on a task, he is ruthless with his efficiency. The fact that Tom is currently hunched over his laptop screen, obscenities spewing from his mouth, is a sign that he’s been stewing in frustration for quite a while.

This is why Harry knocks on the door rather than simply entering like he normally does.

Tom’s response is instant: “I’m busy.”

Unfortunately, this is not an unexpected response. Harry sighs—silently, so that Tom doesn’t hear it—and steps into the room. “I came in to check on you,” Harry says.

“I’m in the middle of something. I’ll be finished in—” There is a pause as Tom glances to the bottom corner of his screen, which is where the clock is. “An hour at most. An hour or two.”

Harry smells bullshit. He walks over to the desk and places a hand on Tom’s shoulder. The muscles tense immediately as Tom’s brow furrows in irritation. Then a second passes and suddenly the tension is expelled, Tom’s shoulder now lax beneath Harry’s hand.

“I said I’m busy,” Tom repeats, a warning.

Harry slides his hand to the nape of Tom’s neck, to the fine strands of hair there. He feels Tom twitch, then go still. Tom’s insistence on being in control of every aspect of his life will be the death of him, Harry thinks grimly.

“It’s okay to be stressed,” Harry tries. “Why don’t you take a break?”

“I’m fine.” Tom resumes typing on his keyboard, probably hoping that Harry will get bored of being ignored and leave.

Harry eyes the spread of files and reports on the desk. No doubt all of them are arranged in a specific way that only makes sense to Tom. If Harry was to nudge one of the files into another pile, Tom would throw a fit. Tom can be a difficult person to talk to when he’s feeling stressed, doubly so because he’s a stubborn bastard who has never learned to ask for help. Not that Harry is any better at asking for help, but he’s usually somewhat aware of his own crabbiness.

“I can make you some tea?” Harry offers. “Or a light snack? I picked up those crackers you like.”

Tom’s jaw flexes once, twice. Harry waits to see if Tom will spit out an angry retort. It doesn’t feel like one is coming, but one never knows with Tom. Tom’s hands continue their motions over the laptop keyboard, but they have slowed enough to convince Harry that Tom is taking his genuine request seriously.

“Some tea would be nice, thank you,” Tom says after a pause too long to be entirely normal.

“Okay.” Harry smiles even though he knows Tom can’t see it, and leans down to press a kiss against the side of Tom’s head.

Tom grunts in acknowledgement and goes back to typing.

Harry quietly shuts the door behind him as he leaves. He’ll make tea, and he’ll put some cream cheese on Tom’s favourite crackers. Then he’ll leave it all on a tray set atop the far shelf, a good distance away from all the files in case Tom knocks anything over.

If Tom still isn’t finished in two hours, then Harry will adjust his approach. For now, he can be patient. They are both learning what it means to support each other. Harry may be learning a little faster, but Tom is trying, and that is what’s most important.

Months ago, Harry’s attempt at coaxing Tom out of a bad mood would have been met with a demand for Harry to leave, or worse yet, some kind of insult. Harry’s seen it before with Tom’s employees—someone will make the mistake of pushing too much, and Tom will snap.

It is not a pretty sight. Harry’s witnessed grown men reduced to tears by Tom’s anger. Some people may think that’s an exaggeration, but it isn’t. Tom has cracked a joke once or twice about how Harry’s bleeding heart has softened him up some—the funny thing is, Harry is pretty sure that it’s true.

With Harry around, Tom clamps down on his crueler impulses. Even if it is only because they’re dating, it is good progress that has spread to all of Tom’s interactions. Tom may not care for other people, but he cares for Harry, and what Harry has taught him is that restraint is as valuable as assertiveness.

Harry retrieves a box of crackers from the pantry and boils water for tea. When he returns to Tom’s office, he will receive a distracted ‘thank you’. If Tom’s made positive progress in the fifteen or so minutes it will take for Harry to prep the crackers and steep the tea, Harry might even be invited to sit around on the futon.

Though Tom will never admit it, he must have been lonely before he had met Harry. Tom’s life is exciting, full of business deals and other work-related drama, but is not fulfilling. For all that Tom talks about success and power, he speaks rarely of family or friends.

Harry has shoved that door wide open. He has plopped himself right down into Tom’s tidy life and stuck a large wooden doorstop down on the floor.

Tom has given him confidence, given him encouragement for a career he has only dreamed of having. Harry will do what he can to teach Tom that reconnecting with his humanity is worth every bit of effort it requires.

When his tea tray is full, Harry lifts it carefully with both hands and makes his way back to Tom’s office. Tom has upgraded from looking only at his laptop to looking at his laptop, three different financial reports,  _ and a _ text conversation on his phone.

Harry sets the tray down on the far shelf. He’ll tiptoe out and check back later when Tom’s not so busy. Harry picks up his cup of tea to take with him; he’ll drink it out in the living room while Tom works.

He’s nearly to the door when Tom says, “Where are you going?”

Harry opens his mouth to answer, but then he realizes that he doesn’t have a proper answer. Truthfully, he is only leaving because he thinks it’s what Tom wants, which is probably not what Tom wants to hear. It will probably hurt his feelings.

“...Bathroom?” Harry says awkwardly.

“Oh, alright then. I’ll put some music on.” Tom half-glances over at the tea tray, then goes back to working.

Harry quietly sets his cup back down.

The soft sounds of classical music fill the flat as Harry steps out to use the bathroom even though he doesn’t actually need to. It is not a ‘thank you’, or even a proper invitation for Harry to come back, but it is oddly sweet, coming from Tom.

Once Tom is finished with whatever project has got him so worked up, he’ll go back to being his usual charming self and Harry won’t have to baby him anymore. 

“Are there two sugars in here?” Tom demands when Harry steps back into the room. “It tastes too sweet.”

“Yes, you prat,” Harry says, rolling his eyes for good measure. “There are exactly two sugars in your tea. Unless you grabbed mine, in which case it’s your fault.”

Tom squints at his cup, frowning. It is, of course, Harry’s cup. Tom must have grabbed it by mistake. Harry watches as Tom takes another sip of tea, twists his lips in distaste, then sets the cup down on the desk.

Even cranky, irritable Tom has it in him to be sweet, Harry thinks fondly as he takes the second cup of tea, the one with only two sugars, and settles on the futon. Coaxing the sweetness out just takes a bit of effort.

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr [here](https://duplicitywrites.tumblr.com) if you like :)
> 
> feel free to join my personal discord server for my writing [here](https://discord.gg/BJRP4A5)!


End file.
